Analyzed was the performance of students on numerical versus conceptual chemistry problems in their freshman general chemistry course and their sophomore organic chemistry course. Data indicated that the ability to solve a problem did not necessarily imply an understanding of the concepts involved. (CW)

Social problem solving and cognitive style (field independence/field dependence) were studied in a sample of 70 elementary and secondary teachers taking a summer course in counseling. Protocol analysis was used to identify the variety of problem-solving methods applied to social problems. (SLD)

Discusses problem-solving strategies and the successful strategy used to solve stoichiometric problems in general college chemistry courses. Reports that rereading problems, recalling a related concept, and reasoning deductively/inductively are the most heavily used strategies among 13 categories. (YP)

Develops a model for the news writing process based on research conducted with both professional and student journalists in their normal work environment over the past six years. Finds evidence indicating that leads do more than grab the reader's attention, and that reporting and writing are not separate acts. (MS)

This study examined the verbalizations of 90 middle school students as they thought aloud while solving mathematical word problems. Results indicated that students with learning disabilities (LD) and average achievers were less strategic in approaching mathematical problem solving than gifted students, and LD students approached problem solving in…

Study analyzed the written protocols of 900 elementary mathematics students from 5 achievement levels utilizing a 15-item arithmetic and problem-solving test administered in grade 3 and again in grade 6. Correct solutions resulted from similar strategies regardless of the achievement level, yet incorrect solutions ensued from many incorrect…

Considers the role of library and information science professionals as knowledge engineers. Highlights include knowledge acquisition, including personal experience, interviews, protocol analysis, observation, multidimensional sorting, printed sources, and machine learning; knowledge representation, including production rules and semantic nets;…

Fourteen high-intelligence and 13 low-intelligence first-year college students worked in a structured or unstructured simulation environment to learn correlational principles. Thinking-aloud protocols indicate that high-intelligence subjects exhibit a better working method than do low-intelligence subjects, and that working method is a strong…

Thirty-one students (ages 8-14) with learning disabilities or behavior disorders solved arithmetic word problems while a narrative protocol was developed. Eight types of cognitive processing difficulties were identified (such as lack of self-correction and inclusion of extraneous information), and the utility of protocol analysis as an assessment…

Examines the role of output, especially of speaking, in a foreign-language-learning environment. While speaking English, Japanese high school students' performances were videotaped, and they were asked to reflect on their cognitive processes. Students' think-aloud protocols were then classified according to their cognitive processes. (Author/VWL)

Notes that teachers make intentional decisions during interaction with children and reflect on what occurs in the environment. Focuses on teacher behavior along several continua: soft-hard, simple-complex, open-closed, intrusion-seclusion, and high versus low mobility. Illustrates theory with a transcribed observation. Adapts Jones and Prescott's…

Investigates the influence of goal orientations on strategy use patterns and reading comprehension of adult English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) readers. Thirty-eight Taiwanese EFL college freshmen were randomly selected and assigned into the mastery-oriented and the combined mastery- and performance-oriented groups. Results indicated that two…

Compares some of the writing behaviors present in the think-aloud protocols of three male Spanish university students while writing in Catalan, their native language, and in Spanish and English. Analysis of the subjects' composing behaviors based on think-aloud protocols shows that their planning and other strategies are consistent across the…

In health research, we depend heavily on the goodwill of study participants. However, the whole social contract of health research is based on the premise that everyone comes to the research table with honorable intentions. What course should we take if we doubt the authenticity of our participants' accounts? Through the use of an illustrative…

Two university English seminars were video-recorded to provide data for a pilot project investigating how English is produced or "actualized" in teaching and learning encounters. The project is positioned within three contexts: national policy about higher education teaching; current research about higher education pedagogy; and, the…